LAHORE: The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) is conducting a survey to assess how it can facilitate schools to provide transport facilities to students.

A PMTA team is visiting the school administrations to work out a plan to provide transport facility of Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT), Metro and Speedo bus service to the school children in Lahore.

The Metro authorities sought the proposals and recommendations in this regard from the school administrations. The Metro Pass to students can be issued. In the first phase, 200,000 children will be issued travel passes.

Orange Line is an automated rapid transit line in Lahore being operated by the PMTA. The metro line spans 27.1 km with 25.4 km elevated and 1.72 km underground with 26 stations.

In phase-I, 200,000 children will be issued travel passes

The Lahore Metro bus system has the following main features including two lanes - limited access corridor Gajjumata to Shahdara (27 km) with 27 stations (two curb-side platforms each with three docking bays and level boarding) (18 at-grade and 9 elevated), platform sliding doors, escalators, portion from Canal to Data Darbar is elevated (8.3 kms), automated fare collection system with off board ticketing, bus scheduling system, vehicle location system, passenger information system (PIS), intelligent transportation system for signal operations along with the corridor, and 64 articulated air conditioned buses.

PMTA General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah told Dawn that the authority was conducting a survey and a team was visiting schools to work out a plan.

He said they would provide service to schools and make travel passes and charge fare.

He said the plan was being worked out to connect the schools with the authority’s transport service.

TRANSFER: As many as 26,000 teachers in Punjab applied for transfers to different cities of the province on Thursday.

The last date to apply for transfer was April 13.

As many as 16,000 female teachers and 12,553 male teachers applied for transfers on open merits. About 9,000 applied for transfers in accordance with the wedlock policy. About 2,100 teachers who got promotions also applied for transfers.

As many as 2,115 teachers applied under the mutual transfer category.

The school education department said applicants’ verification has been kicked off and all transfer orders will be issued by April 23.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2022